Metal burial caskets often include a shell formed from relatively thin metal, stamped and formed into a desired shape. A relatively thin exterior metal wall of the casket which may be painted or covered in some manner.
Through-fittings for burial caskets are desired for a number of reasons including providing access through the exterior wall to a casket latch/lock mechanism, and for providing access to a portion of the interior of the burial casket for the storage of mementos and other memorabilia without the need to open the casket lid.
Through-fittings that provide access to casket latch/lock mechanisms are commonly referred to as lock end tubes. Lock end tubes are typically disposed on an end wall of the casket and provide a cylindrical orifice through the casket end wall to access and articulate the casket lock mechanism. The casket lock mechanism often includes a shaft that extends into the lock end tube. The lock mechanism is actuated by inserting a tool into an appropriately-shaped recess in an end portion of the shaft and rotating the shaft. The lock end tube often may be closed and sealed by a threaded cap.
Through-fittings for providing storage space for mementos and other memorabilia commonly form an aperture in the casket end wall for receiving a capsule holding memorabilia of the deceased. The aperture is typically covered with a cap or other closure device and may be accessed without opening the lid of the casket.
Caskets may be provided with curved, or arcuate corner portions, which provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the casket. The exterior surface of the casket wall in the curved corner is substantially convex in shape, whereas the interior surface of the casket wall in the curved corner is substantially concave.
Often, a desirable location for through-fittings for access to lock mechanisms or memorial capsules is the corner portion of the casket. However, for caskets with curved corners, the curved surfaces of the corner present some difficulties in mounting the through-fitting structures.
To overcome difficulties in mounting a through-fitting to the curved portion of the casket, a prior through-fitting for a lock end tube for a curved corner of a casket has inner and outer tubes and a pair of complimentary-shaped parts. One shaped part conforms to the convex exterior surface of the casket wall and the other conforms to the concave interior surface. The complimentary-shaped parts are disposed on opposite sides of the exterior wall of the casket and are clamped together by a screw thread to affix the through-fitting to the casket wall. This through-fitting structure provides certain benefits over previous structures, however, this prior structure requires an undesirable number of parts and manufacturing steps.
A prior through-fitting for a memorial tube has an integral mounting tube affixed to a flat (i.e., planar) portion of the casket corner by a crimping step. A capsule or similar container may be threaded into the mounting tube and sealed. This through-fitting structure provides certain benefits over previous structures however the structure is not suitable for mounting on an arcuate surface (i.e., a curved corner).
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and provides a through-fitting for curved corners of burial caskets suitable for a variety of uses including providing access to casket lock mechanisms and for providing storage within the casket for mementos and memorabilia of the deceased.